India’s Olympiad team captain Srinath Narayanan distributed players across boards by rating. World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju was placed on the last, 4th board.

Wesley So called Narayanan’s decision “disrespectful” in an interview with Hindustan Times. Wesley noted he would have placed Gukesh on the first board if he were the captain of their team.

The Chess Olympiad 2026 takes place from September 16 to 27 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Gukesh Dommaraju defeated his Thai opponent on the first day of the event. Gukesh drew with an Indonesian IM on the second day. The World Champion is on -3.5 Classical points and his rating fell to 2699.5 in live rating.

Credit: Michal Walusza / FIDE